The 119th Congress provides gun owners a unique chance to go on offense and advance pro-gun legislation. Donald Trump’s victory in November, coupled with Republicans’ retaking of the Senate and their continued control of the House, puts gun owners in a good position to get on the legislative scorecard, at least on paper.
On Jan. 7, 2025, Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) took the initiative by introducing H.R. 221, the “Abolish the ATF Act’’, a succinct, one-page bill that aims to abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE). Burlison’s bill already has 27 co-sponsors, with Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
In a statement to The National News Desk earlier in January, Burlison declared, “The ATF is emblematic of the deep-state bureaucracy that believes it can infringe on constitutional liberties without consequence. If this agency cannot uphold its duty to serve the people within the framework of the Constitution, it has no place in our government.” Burlison previously indicated that state governments should handle firearms issues without having the Feds butt in. He accused the ATF of “co-opting or commandeering [local] law enforcement to enforce laws” which elected officials in state legislation did not pass. The congressman suggested that states should be allowed to handle matters themselves, without federal interference.
Burlison’s bill is just the latest in congressional attempts to rein in the ATF’s power. Since the ATF’s infamous Waco siege of 1993, where nearly 80 people were killed, gun owners’ attitudes towards the ATF have hardened to the point where several elected officials have stepped up to introduce their respective ATF abolition bills. Members of Congress such Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) have introduced their respective ATF abolition bills over the last decade.
Abolishing the ATF is good policy on paper, but it may not be the silver bullet that many pro-gun activists make it out to be.
Luis Valdez, the Florida State Director of Gun Owners of America, offered an interesting perspective about ATF abolition in an X post published on Dec. 5, 2024:
I would love to abolish ATF.
But as a former cop, I know what’ll happen is all the anti-gun laws would be enforced by another agency, like the FBI.
We need to repeal anti-gun laws & EOs & turn ATF into a dept. that works for gun owners by going after anti-gun states like CA. https://t.co/aIaZCbLB1Q
— Luis Valdes (@RealFLGunLobby) December 6, 2024
This was one of the flaw’s with the aforementioned bill that Sensenbrenner introduced in 2014, where it would have transferred the ATF’s functions connected to firearms and violent crime to the FBI — an agency with a very checkered history when it comes to infringing on civil liberties. In fact, the left-leaning Center for American Progress pushed for the ATF to be abolished. But there was a catch: the ATF would be merged with the FBI. This would not be a good scenario for gun rights.
It’s anyone’s guess if Burlison’s bill is an effective way to deal with the ATF, much less be passed. The ATF should ultimately be abolished, but there needs to be certain safeguards in place that prevent another agency such as the FBI from assuming the gun control enforcement role the ATF was originally tasked with.
From there, a pro-gun presidential administration should use the power of the purse and other forms of fiscal leverage to punish blue states that violate gun rights. The abolition of an unaccountable bureaucracy is a net positive for liberty, but such power should be thoroughly removed and not just be transferred over to another department or two.
Over the last century, the federal government has grown at an unprecedented level, which has been accompanied with an alarming level of transgressions on individual rights that would make the Founding Fathers shudder. The good news is that the current discourse on gun rights is moving more in the direction of rolling back gun control measures as opposed to gun activists always reacting to the latest attempts to undermine the right to bear arms.
Gun rights activists are finally going on offense and questioning the very essence of the gun control regulatory state. Hopefully, more serious measures are implemented, and other campaigns are pursued to ensure that the federal gun control apparatus is thoroughly downsized.
The fight to restore gun rights in America is only just starting. But let’s make sure to choose the right legislative fights.
About José Niño
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. You can contact him via Facebook and X/Twitter. Subscribe to his Substack newsletter by visiting “Jose Nino Unfiltered” on Substack.com.
